Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Noto Coast
Noto's coastal satellite is
Lido di Noto
, a typical beach town of holiday villas and resort ho-
tels that's practically deserted for 10 months of the year.
Further down, at Sicily's southeastern point, the cape offers little in the way of excite-
ment, but its electric colours, laid-back atmosphere and relative lack of development make
it a relaxing stopoff. The main centre is
Pachino
, a busy market town surrounded by fertile
vineyards, while
Marzamemi
, 5km away, is a quiet fishing town that doubles as a low-key
summer resort.
On the road between the two,
Cantina Rudinì
( 093 159 53 33;
www.vinirudini.it
; Contrada Campor-
eale)
is a good place to stock up on the local Nero d'Avola wine. Once in Marzamemi, a
fish meal at
Ristorante Giramapao
( 093 184 11 49; Via Marzamemi 77; meals €38; Tue-Sun)
does
wonders for the soul, especially if it's grilled catch-of-the-day accompanied by a carafe of
local wine.
From Marzamemi the road follows the coast south to
Portopalo di Capo Passero
, a popular
summer hang-out. The small island off the coast is
Isola Capo Passero
, with a castle and
nature reserve.
In between Noto and the cape are several sights worth stopping at.
Eloro
( 9am-1pm)
Just south of Lido di Noto is this archaeological site, where the sparse
ruins of the 7th-century-BC Syracusan colony of Helorus lie in lush green grass. It's an at-
tractive setting, even if it's quite hard to make out what you're looking at. In fact, excava-
tions have so far unearthed a portion of the city walls, a small temple dedicated to De-
meter and a theatre. On either side of the hill are long, sandy beaches.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
Riserva Naturale Oasi
Faunistica di Vendicari
( 093 16 74 50; 7am-8pm Apr-Oct, 7am-5pm Nov-Mar)
Butting onto the ruins of Eloro is
a wonderful stretch of wild coastline encompassing three separate marshes and a number
of sandy beaches. From the main entrance (signposted off the Noto-Pachino road), it's
about a 10-minute walk to the nearest beach, where you can pick up a path along the
coast.
PARK
